Five Specialty Food Trends for 2015
Special to Road Trips for Foodies
A panel of food trend experts have nibbled their way through the largest Winter Fancy Food Show in its 40-year history to identify the top five trends bound for store shelves in the coming year.
The West Coast’s largest trade show devoted exclusively to specialty food was held recently at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. The exhibit halls were brimming over with 80,000 examples of the latest chocolate, cheese, olive oil, granolas, salsas and charcuterie from across the United States and 30 more countries, enough to fill four football fields.
Is a new kale (pictured) about to be born? Here are the trend experts’ top five picks:
Cheese Twists
Yancey’s Fancy – Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger Artisan Cheese
Sonoma Creamery – Mr. Cheese O’s
Silva Regal Spanish Food – Manchego-Style Cheese Flavored Olive Oil
Angie’s Boomchickapop – Caramel & Cheddar Mix
Breakfast Served all Day
Chuao Chocolatier – Strawberry Waffle Wild Milk Chocolate
Uncle Andy’s Jerky – Bandito Loco Spicy Coffee Beef Jerky
The Republic of Tea – Cinnamon Toast HiCaf Tea
Dang Foods – Savory Bacon Coconut Chips
Time for Turmeric
Rishi Tea – Turmeric Ginger Tea
HealthVerve — Turmeric Rice
Bruce Cost Ginger Ale – Passion Fruit Ginger Ale with Turmeric
Navitas Naturals – Turmeric Tamari Almonds
Cruciferous Crusade
Creative Snacks – Broccoli Chips
Alive & Radiant – Arugula Cabbage Veggie Krunch
Wonderfully Raw Gourmet – Tamarind Almond Crunch Brussel Bytes
Genuine Grub – Spicy Pickled Cabbage
Vanilla Bean-anza
Heber Valley Artisan Cheese – Vanilla Bean Cheddar Cheese
Choctal – Single-Origin Vanilla Ice Creams
Dancing Deer Baking Co. – Pure Vanilla Bean Shortbread
Milkboy Swiss Chocolate – White Chocolate with Bourbon Vanilla
Drink Daily Greens Enlighten Hemp Milk with Blue-Green Algae and Vanilla
Last year’s trends are still going strong. The show had plenty of gluten-free foods, ancient grains, coconut and sriracha. And yes, kale is still going strong.
The Specialty Food Association trendspotters are Emma Christensen, Recipe Editor, The Kitchn; Sarah Fritsche, Staff Writer, San Francisco Chronicle; Christine Gallary, Food and Cooking Editor, The Kitchn; Kara Nielsen, Culinary Director, Sterling-Rice Group; Denise Purcell Editor, Specialty Food Media; David Sax, Freelance food journalist/author; Nancy Hopkins, Senior Deputy Editor, Food & Entertainment, Better Homes & Gardens, and Ashley Koff, RD, Editorial Director, The Ashley Koff Approved (AKA) List.
Established in 1952, the Specialty Food Association is the not-for-profit trade association with 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad. The association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food.
